Cianan Brennan: Social media flies in the face of defamation reforms

While reform of an outdated law is on the horizon, questions are arising whether or not it will be fit for purpose in tackling issues from social media, writes Cianan Brennan

The current defamation law in Ireland does not make any allowance for social media platforms, such as X, as they were in their infancy when the bill was first drafted. Picture: Darko Vojinovic/AP

Defamation is a word that strikes consternation into the hearts of all in the media. If someone in the profession tells you differently, they are likely either being economical with the truth or have yet to receive their first threat of legal action.

A Dublin City University (DCU) report last week made for stark reading, with 34% of surveyed Irish journalists saying they had faced legal action arising from their work over the past five years.